Division
by sammy sassy
Summary: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna believe that the three pony tribes in Equestria live in harmony. However the deep division lines that run between the tribes means that one event can turn Equestria into a war zone. This story is going to explore the effects of these divisions on everyday lives and the cost of bringing true peace and harmony to Equestria.
1. I

**I**

"KEEP WORKING MUD PONIES!"

The male pegasus (whose name was Ice Heart) roughly pushed one of the workers to the floor and laughed loudly. The worker slowly got up and raised a hoof when he was interrupted by an announcement.

"Autumn Forest, please report to the main office immediately."

"That's right dog, run away now." taunted Ice Heart. Autumn ignored him and continued walking briskly towards the flight of stairs. The owners of the factory, the Flim and Flam brothers, had arrived in Appleloosa six months before with their apple cider making machine; and they had promised to make all of the ponies in Appleloosa richer: however their deceit became clear within the first few weeks of employment. The employees worked in unsuitable and unsafe working conditions and they received very low pay. The only reason many ponies stayed on was because there were very few jobs available in Appleloosa since it was a small town coupled with few jobs available and a growing population. Autumn quickly snapped out of his thoughts as he arrived at the main office and he knocked on the door twice.

"You may enter."

Autumn Forest walked into the office to find the unicorn twins sitting at their separate desks. Both wore huge smiles on their faces and Flim stood up quickly.

"Autumn, our favourite employee, why don't you have a seat?"

"Where?" asked Autumn with a slight frown on his face.

"Why, on the floor of course, its where your kind belong after all." replied Flim, struggling to keep a straight face. Autumn glared intently at Flim.

"Now, Flim, be nice. We called Autumn for a reason." admonished Flam. Flim sniggered quietly but obeyed his brother and sat down at his desk. Flam stroked his moustache gently and stood in front of Autumn.

"Autumn, we're concerned about your recent lack of effort. Your poor output has obviously influenced your fellow colleagues and we are beginning to see a drop in our standings on the market. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Autumn thought for a few moments. "You both are very respectable business ponies who have fought their way to the top in the beverage industry and have never looked back since. I am honoured to be a member of the Super Cider Squeezy family and I would never want to do anything that would harm your company's position."

"We know. But we cannot overlook the facts. For the last few weeks, your output has dropped from 70% to 45%, a decrease of 25%, a number we haven't seen from any of our employees for fourteen months now. There has to be a reason behind this and as fair owners, we are willing to hear your explanation, Autumn." said Flam with a small frown.

"Fair owners, is that what you really call yourselves?! We work in awful conditions, you barely pay us an actual wage that we can live off, your feather-brain observer constantly abuses us. Is it any surprise that there is a lack of effort around the factory?"

"You mud ponies are all the same, trying to climb in society when you know that your place is AT THE BOTTOM!" yelled Flam. His face had gone red by this point and he strode forward aggressively. "You think you're so special because your kind used to rule Equestria but you're not. not anymore. You are to return to work immediately and you will hand in your badge at the end of the day, never to work here again. DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Your horns are an impeccable creation and an essential part of your biology, perhaps the most important part, Flim and Flam, it would be a shame if they were to be... taken away from you." replied Autumn with a small smile.

"IS THAT A THREAT MUD PONY?!"

"Of course not, I would never want to inflict harm upon my fantastic employers." Autumn strolled out of the office confidently and went down the stairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he whistled loudly and what followed next was described in the following day's local papers as a 'uncivilised yet justified stampede'. The workers abandoned their jobs and released their six month long pent up fury and frustration. They destroyed the various machines that were in the factory, setting some of them alight. The supervisors that were stationed throughout the factory made desperate attempts to escape the wrath of the infuriated earth pony workers; but unfortunately they were too slow. Ice Heart, the supervisor that had tormented the workers for so long now found himself on the floor surrounded by the kicks of workers and he soon lost consciousness. Autumn and twenty or so other workers charged up the stairs and stormed into Flim and Flam's office. The brothers had only a brief moment to charge up their horns to defend themselves before they were quickly overwhelmed by the large group. Autumn ordered the ponies to take the unicorns away and they obliged immediately. Autumn calmly walked back down the stairs and quietly observed the carnage before him. Smoke was pouring out of all of the machines and a few were burning ferociously. Supervisors strewn across the floor either unconscious or (in some cases), dead. Autumn moved from the doorway to allow a group of workers that were carrying Ice Heart to pass through. Autumn exited the building with the rest of the workers, where he found that the rest of the employees were already waiting for their leader. They cheered raucously and Autumn Forest found himself being mobbed by his fellow workers and it took him a while to reach the middle of the crowd. He turned and waited for the audience to all down before speaking. "Comrades, this is only the beginning. We meet tomorrow night to finish what we started; the beginning of the end of our oppression! Spread the word to our members outside of Appleloosa and we'll meet at the barn."

As the workers rushed to their homes, Autumn allowed himself a moment of peace and quiet. He felt the adrenaline fade away and he closed. No doubt there would be questions about what had happened, but he was ready to face them all. He turned his thoughts to the impending arrival of the agents he had chosen to complete Phase One of his group's revolution. One of them in particular made him feel a weird way; a way he hadnt felt in years but he pushed this thought to the back of his mind and focused on what was to come.

 _Power_

 _Destruction_

 _Accomplishment_

 _Terram et praeessent_

 _We will rule_

* * *

"Destruction.''

''Enter my brother and sister; and may the earth's spirit protect you.''

The stallion and mare quickly entered the barn and quietly observed the scenes going on before them. The stallion was quite tall and had a red body. His blue irises suited his face and his cutie mark was a pile of apples that were half yellow. The mare was close to the stallion's height and she had orange eyes coupled with a beige body and her cutie mark was several peeled oranges. Lots of differently sized haystacks represented seats and conversations were rife amongst the ponies. The barn's atmosphere was filled with rich laughter and the collective mood was peaceful yet excited.

''Earth ponies, rise!''

Everypony present immediately stood up but the couple took their time standing up, which garnered them odd looks.

''They'll soon find out why'', whispered the stallion.

''Yes, but I hope he announces it quickly, he does have a tendency to-''

A tall, broad-shouldered orange earth pony sauntered into the barn and stood quietly before his audience, smiling. His blue irises flitted around the room, giving each pony present a penetrating stare. He had a long scar that started on his right cheek and ended barely touching his jaw. His sharp jawline gave his face a menacing yet handsome edge, indicating that he was not an individual to be crossed. His cutie mark was a pile of autumn leaves (which coincided with his name) and a rake next to them, in a sweeping motion.

''Order of Roots, you may be seated'', he announced.

''As you command, Autumn Forest'', was the reply.

Autumn Forest waited for a few moments before addressing his audience.

''Comrades, we have gathered here today in Appleloosa to put the final touches to Project Genesis. For far too long, our tribe has been shunned, abused and forgotten; we are abused by those demons at that factory, for 3 months the crime lords and the pegasi supremacists in Las Pegasus have dictated over the earth pony community and have systematically organised their deaths. The two princesses have turned a blind eye to these injustices and pretend to not know what is going on but we all know that they are well aware of what is happening , but after tomorrow, Equestria will return to earth pony control, the way it should be!''

A roar of approval rose up from the earth ponies present and each individual present had now stood up, eagerly waiting for their leader to continue speaking.

''I have already sent a letter to our colleagues in Manehatten and Detrot regarding our mission and they are primed and ready.'' Autumn Forest paused for a moment to allow the earth ponies to cheer again. He held up a hoof and they quickly fell silent again.

''Now you all have been wondering for quite a few months now who I have selected to complete Phase 1 of Project Genesis and I can assure you, the two that I have selected are more than capable. Agents show yourselves!''

The couple walked to the front and smiled before everypony.

Why don't you tell everypony your names?'' said Autumn Forest.

''I am Marzana Crumble of the Apple Family and this is my wife Ambrose Orange of the Orange Family'' stated Marzana proudly.

''The Oranges?'' glared Autumn Forest. The Oranges were the second largest earth pony family in Equestria and also the richest. Most of its members lived in Manehatten and they had earned their money through the large chain of hotels and restaurants they owned in the city. They were also despised by all earth ponies for shunning their true identity and behaving in the manner of unicorns. The family called for social programs to take earth ponies out of school and place into hotel jobs in order to increase their profit and when they announced this the previous year they received several death threats and (luckily for them) attempts on their lives failed.

''I can assure you sire, that I am nothing like my family'' ,said Ambrose, her smile faltering. Most of the members were now giving her dirty looks and some had even stood up and brandished their weapons.

''Is that so, Miss Orange? Well, luckily for you, I can think of a way you can prove yourself. What do you say comrades, should we get the prestigious Ambrose Orange to put her money where her mouth is?'' asked Autumn Forest.

''PROVE YOURSELF! PROVE YOURSELF! PROVE YOURSELF!''

Autumn Forest whistled and the members fell silent. He turned to one of the doors on the side and stomped his hoof. Almost immediately, two earth pony guards entered and with them were three prisoners. The ponies present couldn't help but gasp and their eyes lit up with recognition. Flim, Flam and the male Pegasus supervisor that had harassed the earth pony workers for so long were dragged into the room. Flim and Flam's horns were black and stank of burning flesh. The pegasus' blue fur was matted with dirt and blood, most of his feathers had been singed off. They all hung their heads low, ignoring the jeers and boos from the earth ponies present.

''Greetings, scum. How nice of you all to join us tonight. Now my friend Ambrose here is just going to do a little favour for me but I promise you that it'll be quick.'', said Autumn Forest. He turned to Ambrose and Marzana.

''Miss Orange, cut their horns off and cut feather brain's wings off.''

''What?!'' exclaimed Ambrose and the pegasus.

''You heard me, Miss Orange. Or is such an act beneath your prestigious reputation? Now, get to cutting." snarled Autumn Forest. He roughly threw an axe onto the floor and waited for Ambrose to pick it up.

Ambrose took a deep breath and picked up the axe from the floor. She walked over to the prisoners and stood over him, giving him a blank stare.

"Please, don't do this. I don't deserve this. Please, please." whispered the prisoner, tears brimming in his eyes.

Ambrose Orange realised in that moment that she had to obey Autumn Forest or she wouldn't leave the barn alive or see her family again. Why didn't Marzana stand up for her? He was just standing there, being a spectator. He wasn't usually like this so why didn't he step in?

 _Do this for your family Ambrose._

 _Think about all of the earth ponies that are suffering all over Equestria. This is your chance to make their lives better._

 _This country was ours from the beginning._

 _We are the superior race._

Ambrose lifted the axe high and brought it down with lightning speed, severing the wing's connection from the pegasus' body. She quickly did the same to the other wing. The pegasus screamed and cried as blood poured like a waterfall from his body. He moaned and begged for his life to end. Ambrose picked up the two wings with her hoofs and held them aloft before the earth ponies. They showed their jubilation and chanted her name. Ambrose then turned to the unicorn brothers.

"Name anything you want and we'll give it to you. Money, land, stallions." sobbed Film.

"Just let us go and we'll make you rich beyond your wildest dreams." agreed Flam with a quick nod. But Ambrose had gone beyond the point of negotiation.

"Your tribe disgusts me." replied Ambrose with a twisted glare. She quickly sliced through the horns of the twin unicorns and let the blood that sprayed out land onto her hooves and face. A brief flash of light could be seen from the brothers' heads and they both immediately collapsed, remaining still.

"I didn't think you had it in you, Miss Orange" remarked Autumn, partly surprised she'd even managed to complete the task.

"If I didn't, then you wouldn't have chosen me for the job sir" replied Ambrose with a small smile.

Marzana went over to his wife and kissed her lips gently. She responded by turning her head and placing her hooves on the back of his head. But she felt empty inside, as if she had lost a part of her.

 _It's probably what you did_

 _Maybe its Marzana_

Ambrose pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and decided to worry about them later.

For the rest of the meeting Autumn Forest discussed tactics with the ponies present. Friendly sparring also took place between ponies in order to prepare them for the next day and the final winner was one of Marzana's cousins called Apple Strudel. An hour later, he dismissed the ponies and many headed off to the local bar a few blocks away from the barn. Those who had travelled from outside of Appleloosa to attend the meeting headed to their respective hotels.

"Ambrose, just a moment please, I would like to talk to you" called out Autumn Forest.

"Yes, sir, right away sir".

Ambrose told Marzana the directions to the bar and followed Autumn to the back of the barn. Once they arrived, Autumn stood casually against the wall and Ambrose nervously copied him. He offered her a cigar and she blushed profusely but politely declined, which drew laughter from Autumn Forest.

"May I ask why you called me here to talk to you? If it doesn't offend you, sir" asked Ambrose.

"Always addressing the elephant in the room aren't you? That's what I like about you and it's also why I chose you as well as your husband for Phase One. You're both ruthless and heartless".

Thank-thank you sir, I don't know how-how I can repay you for both your decision and kind compliments" stammered Ambrose, blushing again.

"Hush, dear Ambrose," said Autumn, placing a hoof on her lips, "you can repay me and all earth ponies by succeeding in the plan tomorrow, and I am positive that you and Marzana will come through for us". He gave her a sweet smile and returned to smoking his cigar.

Ambrose smiled again, but she felt warm inside and she wasn't able to shake the feeling. She had to admit to herself that Autumn was handsome, even more than her husband, but why was she feeling this way about Autumn Forest? She didn't even know him that well. She found herself just staring at Autumn, her observations of his appearance running through her thoughts

 _Just look at him, standing here. I can see his biceps and triceps from here. He's so strong._

 _His jawline makes me want to scream_

 _His eyes are as deep and blue as the ocean_

 _Whenever he speaks to me he's always so kind_

 _He chose me out of everybody to take part in Phase One"_

During this time, Autumn was still unaware that Ambrose was staring at him and he continued to smoke his cigar, eventually throwing it on the ground and stomping it out. In her delirious state, Ambrose found herself leaning in closer and closer to Autumn.

"Listen Ambrose, I want to tell you that I –" Autumn had turned his face when he started to talk to her but now he found that his lips were conjoined with Ambrose's. He instinctively turned his head to go deeper and he began to rub his hooves all over her body. Ambrose pushed her tongue into his mouth and Autumn did the same with Ambrose's mouth. He pushed her roughly against the wall and slowly gyrated against her, and he felt an erection coming on. Suddenly he found that Ambrose had broken off the kiss.

"I'm so sorry sir, I don't know what came over me, I-I don't know, I just-I-just, I-", sobbed a tearful Ambrose. She then broke down and slumped to the floor, crying floods of tears.

 _How could you do this? Now watch how Autumn will probably take you off the mission_

 _What if he tells Marzana what I've done? You can kiss goodbye to your marriage now Ambrose_

 _Fucking idiot_

 _You slut_

Autumn Forest stood silently in shock; this was an unusual emotion for him because he always had control over his feelings. Then he felt an urge to comfort Ambrose and tell her the real reason he told her to stay behind. He knelt down and hugged Ambrose, holding her close to him. Eventually she stopped crying and stayed silent in his arms, holding him tightly.

 _I don't want her to feel this way. Ever. Marzana obviously did a poor job with taking care of her_

 _This is your chance to tell her how you have felt about her since the day you met her seven months ago_

"Ambrose, I have to tell you something. Ever since I first met you, I…I have felt strangely about you. It's strange because I haven't felt this way for many years. But I can't fight my feelings anymore. I, I love you Ambrose Orange. You are the most beautiful mare I have ever seen. You are a strong, independent individual who fights for what she believes in. despite your family background, I can see that you are nothing like them and it's clear that you are deeply concerned about our tribe's position in Equestrian society."

"What about the task that you set me in the meeting?" whispered Ambrose, looking at Autumn.

Autumn's expression hardened and he stared intently at Ambrose.

"I do not regret the fact that I set you that task because you needed to prove yourself. When you announced that you are an Orange, I-I felt disgusted at first and I was tempted to end your life there and then." Autumn's features then softened.

" But when you cut that pegasus' wings and head off, I knew that you were different. That you were special."

Ambrose sniffed and instinctively cuddled up against Autumn.

"I understand sir, you did what you had to do as our leader in order to save the plan and all earth ponies, and I respect you for that." Ambrose then leaned in and kissed Autumn Forest deeply and he responded in a similar manner, stroking her mane gently and thrusting his tongue into her mouth. They entered the barn together and remained there for an hour.

* * *

Marzana sat on a table in the bar, waiting impatiently for his wife to return. He looked at the clock every few minutes and was just about to go out and look for her when she arrived.

"Ambrose, where have you been, I was starting to get worried" asked Marzana.

"Oh, I went to visit your cousin Apple Strudel to give me some sparring tips" replied Ambrose, breathless due to galloping to the bar as quickly as she could.

"Oh okay, that's fine then. Do you want me to get you a drink?"

"Yes please, darling."

Whilst Marzana went over to the front table to get her a drink, she pondered over what she had done. She felt guilty inside for cheating on her husband but part of her didn't regret her actions. She felt as if Autumn Forest may just be the stallion for her. She quickly shook her head vigorously and reminded herself that she had bigger things to worry about. Tomorrow was going to be the biggest and most important day of her life; the beginning of Project Genesis.


	2. II

**II**

Whilst the Order of Roots meeting in Appleloosa was taking place, a meeting of the twelve Canterlot noble houses and the two princesses was taking place in the Canterlot Court (in the capital city) at the same time and it was nearing its conclusion.

"For the last time, Sir Leonus, we are not going to relocate all pegasi from Canterlot to Las Pegasus, they form the bulk of our Royal Guard and they contribute quite significantly to our society." said Princess Celestia with a sigh, who was looking to end the meeting.

" _Mad feather-brain loving bitch."_ seethed Sir Leonus inwardly. He flashed the princess a small smile, bowed and returned to his designated seat.

Princess Luna sighed loudly from her seat and observed her surroundings. The court had several rows of seats and these were filled up by all of the noble houses in Canterlot, who were all unicorns. Each house had their banner and these banners depicted various images representing their houses (the six noble houses were Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo and Capricorn; the richest house was Taurus but the most feared was the Leo house). The six noble houses made up a council and they met once a week to discuss and propose laws to better Equestria. A representative of each noble house (usually the head of the family) would make a suggestion for a new law or program in a special seat before the princesses and they would be rejected, considered or immediately accepted. The noble houses were also charged with running a department that contributed to society(Taurus-Finance, Leo-Defence, Capricorn-Education, Aries-Agriculture, Cancer-Health and Gemini- Culture and Media). The noble houses' power in the council was not very large and the princesses ultimately had the final say. The decision to accept new laws proposed by the noble houses had not been made for quite some time and this was due to the fact that Princess Celestia and Luna were aware of the fact that the majority of the six Canterlot noble families were unicorn supremacists to varying degrees. The noble houses (Taurus and Gemini in particular) made it a point to meddle with ordinary ponies' lives and increase their influence and power with their self-titled 'The Game' through their trade decisions, the value of their businesses on the stock market and regular formal functions (this was the reason why Celesta and Luna limited the power the nobles had in the council). The nobles (apart from House Aries) rarely employed pegasi and earth ponies and those who worked for the nobles had lowly positions (e.g. servants and cooks in their mansions) and they received very little pay. There were alliances between Houses Capricorn, Leo and Virgo and an alliance between House Taurus and Gemini whilst House Aries was civil with everypony. House Aries and House Capricorn were the only houses the royal sisters knew that were completely loyal to them. The princesses allowed the nobles to behave as they wished in order to keep the peace but Celestia and Luna knew that they had to reduce the noble houses' power to a significant extent in order to prevent future protests from the other pony tribes. The most extreme unicorn supremacist out of all of the nobles was Sir Leonus (who was head of the Leo House) and his suggestions seemed to be ggetting worse with each council meeting. Luna and Celestia feared that one day he may demand for the extermination of the other two tribes.

Princess Celestia rose from her seat and prepared to announce the end of the weekly court meeting.

"This court is now-"

"Wait your Highness!"

Everybody immediately turned to the entrance where a unicorn couple were stood. The stallion and mare both had yellow bodies and their cutie marks were related to the sun. They walked over to Celestia and Luna and the mare whispered quickly to them. The news had an immediate effect on the princesses and they turned to the nobles.

"The Elements of Chaos have been found!"

This announcement led to prolonged polite claps and small smiles from the nobles (and this was the closest they would ever get to raucously cheering).

"Sunburst Solar and Sunrise Phoenix, I hereby formerly commend you for the success of your mission. You may have just saved Equestria from itself."

"It was the least we could do" said Sunburst with a polite bow, adjusting his glasses. Secretly, he was also a unicorn supremacist (as well as his wife) and he had particular disdain for the earth ponies (in fact he had plans for them). However, unlike the other idiotic noble families, he and his wife (as members of the Capricorn house) kept their opinions to themselves and they suggested moderate laws that were accepted in some instances.

"I think it would be best if we kept the Elements at the palace for safekeeping. Do you agree nobles?" asked Princess Luna.

"Yes, your Highness." was the answer. But Sunburst did look slightly irritated that the nobles had so readily agreed with Luna. Celestia saw this but she dismissed it, thinking that she was seeing things.

"This court is now adjourned. You are dismissed Canterlot nobles."

The nobles calmly left the court and gathered outside to discuss proceedings. House Leo entered their carriages and headed straight home; with Sir Leonus flashing Princess Celestia a nasty glare (that fortunately for Sir Leonus, she did not notice). He nodded politely to the other nobles and returned to his seat and the ponies pulling the carriages galloped off. The other nobles took this as their cue to leave as well and they got onto their carriages and headed off to their respective homes.

* * *

The princesses waited for the nobles to leave from the entrance of the court for their homes. Once it was clear that nopony would be able to eavesdrop their conversation, they turned to the couple.

"Luna and I would like to see you tomorrow after my speech in the palace conference room to discuss tactics for the Elements."

"Of course, your Highness. As you command." said Sunrise Phoenix, smiling.

Sunburst and Sunrise exited the court very quickly and waited until they were outside before they started speaking.

"Did she fall for it, Sunburst?"

"Hopefully, but she'll realise soon, so we need to practise using the Elements immediately so we can overpower them tomorrow. I'm just annoyed that the princesses want to meet us tomorrow in the palace. I wanted to buy us more time and they may have already figure out our true intentions by them."

Sunrise nodded abruptly. When Celestia summoned them to the palace three months ago to offer them the opportunity to take up a mission to find the Elements of Chaos, she and Sunburst were surprised (and slightly honoured), but they also saw the mission as an opportunity to finally gain a legitimate source of power. They had to travel to Saddle Arabia for what would be a four-month long mission and the couple barely escaped with their lives; their two decades of training in dark magic and battle magic eventually saving them from their enemies. But when they returned home (two weeks before the next Canterlot Court meeting), they began to put their plan into motion. Sunburst obtained jewels that appeared identical to the Elements and he coated them with an advanced deception spell he had written so that they appeared to have the same magical power as the Elements. Sunrise and Sunburst then began to practise using the Elements, so that they could get used to their power in preparation for their confrontation with the princesses. House Capricorn believed that the princesses did not grant them enough power and this was why unicorns were on the decline in terms of holding influential positions in Equestrian society. The Capricorn family were particularly concerned with the rise of other tribes in terms of prosperity and the fact that they were breaking out of their designated role in Equestria angered the Capricorn family; and Sunburst and his wife had been told to "do something about it" by Sunburst's father. Sunburst in particular was desperate to please his parents; as a student he had excelled at magic and upon gaining his cutie mark, was immediately sent to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns-but unfortunately Sunburst was never able to fulfil his potential due to his lack of magical performing abilities. His parents (and his father in particular) could barely disguise their huge disappointment and Sunburst spent the next few years working at his magic and his hard work eventually paid off in a scholarship to study magic at the prestigious University of Detrot. However, Sunburst still held a self-directed grudge at his time in Celestia's school, and he saw this as an opportunity to redeem himself for his past failures.

"We've prepared as much as we can and there's nothing we can do about it anymore, okay? Now come on Sunburst, we have to get home quickly to Sunset, its nearly teatime now." said Sunrise.

At the mention of his daughter's name, Sunburst smiled. Sunset Shimmer had a natural talent for magic and she was also Princess Celestia's personal protégé, which a great source of pride for their parents. She had an incredible work ethic and didn't let friends get in the way of her studies, which was important as a member of the Capricorn House. Most members of the Capricorn House had gone on to study at university and entered the political field or ran a prestigious school, and Sunburst and his wife were grooming Sunset to make sure that she was suitable for a political role, such as Mayor of a major Equestrian city until she was ready to take over Equestria from her parents.

"What's on your mind Sunburst?" asked Sunrise.

"Life, and how after tomorrow, things will change for everypony in Equestria."

"Part of me feels a little guilty for what we will put the princesses through, but they brought this upon themselves."

"That's true Sunrise, and with us in control, life will be better. For unicorns that is."

The couple laughed and continued walking quickly towards their house, their moods indefinitely lifted by the prospect of House Capricorn taking control of Equestria.

* * *

"Those nobles are becoming more extreme and unbearable with each meeting sister." stated Luna loudly.

Celestia nodded in agreement as she sat on a cushion in the palace library, thinking about Las Pegasus. She only recently became aware of what Solar Shaker was doing through an anonymous letter sent to the palace and after validating the letter's claims with an invisible observation spell that she had cast on the city, she had planned to send the Royal Guard to arrest Solar Shaker and liberate the imprisoned earth ponies the next week. Celestia and Luna were aware of the fact that tensions were running high between the three tribes and her speech tomorrow needed to have a huge impact. But right now she had more pressing and current issues to be concerned about.

"Why don't we look at the Elements again, Luna? There's something I want to check with them."

"Alright then, if that's what you want."

Celestia performed a teleport spell and they arrived outside the vault underneath the palace. Luna placed her horn into a small horn-sized hole and the vault door opened, revealing the Elements. They were six of them and five were coloured in a dull shade of red, pink, orange, purple and yellow. The sixth element took the form of a crown and it had a six-sided purple star at the top.

"Should we try using them, Celestia?"

"No, not yet, but let's analyse them. I want to understand their full potential."

Celestia closed her eyes and a white light appeared at her horn. She levitated the Elements and they remained there for two minutes whilst she investigated them. Slowly, she opened her eyes and the dropped the Elements onto the floor.

"They're not real. The-the Elements. They're not real. They have no-no power. They're ordinary jewels." whispered Celestia.

Luna stood silently with her mouth agape, her face the epitome of shock. She quickly performed her own analysis spell and came to the same conclusion as her older sister.

"But-but how?! ITS IMPOSSIBLE! Starswirl himself spoke of the Elements often and he would never lie to us! HOW?!" yelled Luna.

"I-I don't know Luna I thought Sunburst and Sunrise-" mused Celestia. She paused suddenly and recapped the events of today's court meeting. Sunburst was a little too eager to give the Elements and they were very quick to leave the palace, which was very unusual of them.

 _Sunburst! He looked annoyed that the nobles agreed that we should keep the Elements in the palace._

 _Sunrise practically ran out of the palace!_

 _They lied._

 _They have the Elements._

 _But what do they want with them?_

"The Elements do exist Luna, its just that the ponies who were meant to bring them to us lied."

"What are you talking- you're right. They lied to us. They have betrayed us. But why?"

Celestia thought for a minute to bring herself to answer. Of all the noble families, she thought that Capricorn was the second most accepting house (after Aries) of diversity in Equestria and the princesses felt as though they could trust the members of that house. Not only did they contribute significantly in terms of politics, Luna often invited Sunburst and Sunrise to the palace to discuss tactics and on some occasions, Sunburst and Sunrise even spoke freely about their personal lives. Now Celestia felt like a fool for placing so much trust in them.

 _But why would they want the Elements?_

 _Are they planning a coup?_

 _It makes sense, if they manage to successfully wield the Elements properly, it would be difficult to stop them._

"They're planning to take over Equestria Luna, that's why they still have the Elements." concluded Celestia with a sad sigh.

Luna stood quietly for a few moments. At first, she appeared to be hurt by the truth of Sunburst and Sunrise's actions, but as she stayed silent for longer, she began to get angry and soon her face displayed a murderous rage. She paced around Celestia, muttering furiously about what she was going to do to Sunburst and Sunrise.

"Lulu, please, calm down, we can deal with them tomorrow after my speech tomorrow." pleaded Celestia. Luna's eyes had taken on their reptilian form (which happened when Luna got angry) and her horn began to light up. Celestial cautiously placed her hooves on either side of Luna's face and waited patiently. Eventually, Luna calmed down and her eyes returned to normal.

"How are we going to deal with them? Execution? Exile? Horn removal?" asked Luna.

"I don't know yet, but they cannot get away with this. They are probably planning to overpower us tomorrow after my speech so we'll place guards outside the conference room."

"That's all we need, power-crazed lunatics. What's next, an earth pony uprising? They wouldn't even be able to organise one, that's how useless they are." Luna laughed sarcastically and began pacing again.

"Luna, how could you say that? We are part earth pony, you're only insulting yourself!" admonished Celestia.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated that we been made to look like fools by the Capricorns", replied a remorseful Luna.

"Its okay, at least we found out before they could do anything to us."

"How is the situation in Las Pegasus? Any better?"

"No, in fact its getting worse. I'll be sending two Royal Guard units over there next week. It needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

"Agreed. Why don't you go to sleep, Celestia? I still have to do the sunset."

"Alright then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight to you as well."

As Celestia teleported to her chambers, Luna performed the same spell and was at the watchtower a few moments later. She immediately closed her eyes and a white light appeared at her horn. The sun was slowly lowered and a few minutes later, the moon replaced it high above the sky. Once she completed the spell, Luna stood on the ledge of the watchtower and quietly watched over Canterlot. The usually busy city was always very quiet at night, and it was at these moments that Luna liked Canterlot the most. There were only a few street lights on and they were scattered throughout the city. Ponies that were out could be seen walking leisurely, whilst others were walking briskly to their homes. Luna turned her attention to the front of the palace. In approximately sixteen hours time, Celestia was going to make her annual positivity speech, which coincided with the 1000th anniversary of Equestria's existence. The speech needed to have an even bigger impact in order to calm the tensions between the tribes and Luna was praying that after the speech, unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies would realize that they had a lot more common than they thought.


	3. III

**III**

"FIVE MINUTES TO GET UP AND BRUSH YOUR TEETH EVERYPONY, OR ALL THESE DARN PANCAKES WILL BE IN MY BELLY!"

Granny Smith proceeded to yell again but at the last second decided to give her family a chance to salvage their hearing. She turned to the stove and picked up the pan using her teeth. She then carefully slid the last pancake on a plate and placed it on the table. Granny turned around to face the kitchen door and waited patiently for the rest of her family to appear. First was Marzana, who was swiftly followed by Ambrose and she held a sleeping infant Apple Bloom in her cot. Big Macintosh and Applejack could be heard squabbling at the top of the stairs and they bundled into the kitchen, their argument getting louder.

"Ah told you before Mac, DON'T USE ALL THE TOOOTHPASTE BEFORE AH'VE USED THE BATHROOM!" yelled Applejack, her face burning red with fury.

"It's not my fault you're always the last to wake up. How are you gonna cope WHEN HARVEST COMES AROUND?" replied Big Macintosh, stomping his hoof onto the floor.

SLAP! Applejack felt sharp pain across her face. Big Macintosh laughed but he experienced the same pain moments later. Marzana stood in front of the siblings, heaving angrily and shaking his hoof.

"I've told you before and this is the last time that I'm going to tell you. Argue one more time and I'll leave you with bruises. Understood?"

"Yes, Papa." was the reply from Applejack and Big Macintosh.

"Come on now sweetie, sit down." Ambrose said, walking over to Applejack and guiding her to her seat. Big Macintosh sat next to his father and took his plate, squeezing a large amount of syrup onto his pancakes. He ate quickly and refused to look at anypony else.

"Are you looking forward to Celestia's speech today, Applejack?" Granny Smith asked.

"Yeah, Granny, we're missing maths this afternoon to hear it. The princesses are really nice as well, they're amazing. " Applejack replied. She turned to her parents and her brother.

"Are you guys excited for the speech too?"

"Nope, only the town party tonight is exciting for me" Big Mac replied monotonously.

"Not really dear, she'll be saying the same pointless things she usually does from all her other speeches. It's a bit like her time in charge. " replied Marzana, completely focused on his breakfast. Ambrose slyly nudged him and gave him a reproaching look for his choice of words, fearing that he would reveal their plan. Marzana gave an apologetic look in response.

 _Shit! I shouldn't have said that! That's going to look really suspicious to Mum now._

 _Calm down, maybe she didn't realise anything was wrong._

"What do you mean by that Marzana?" enquired Granny Smith, her interest piqued by Marzana's choice of vocabulary.

 _Fuck. She realised._

"Oh, I didn't mean to be rude, Mum, it's just that I have a pretty good idea of what she's going to say, because she always makes the same sort of speeches."

"Hm… okay then. Eat up, Marzana; your food's getting cold."

Granny Smith returned to her own breakfast but her thoughts were racing through her mind. Her son and daughter-in-law had returned late last night from Appleloosa and they told her that they were promoting the Apples' cider to ponies. But they seemed very tired and Granny Smith even saw flecks of blood dotted around Ambrose's hooves. When she asked about this, Ambrose claimed that somepony had tried to attack her and that she had to use force to defend herself. This had left Granny Smith very uneasy. She already knew that her son and his wife favoured earth ponies over the other two tribes and she hadn't brought up Marzana to think this way. As an only child, Marzana received all of his parents' love and the family lived a peaceful and uneventful life on their farm in Ponyville. But her husband Apfel Pie's death (at the hands of an escaped unicorn prisoner in Canterlot) when Marzana was a teenager completely shut her down. Granny Smith spent weeks on end sitting in the toilet crying. During her grieving she occasionally forgot that Marzana existed. He had to fend for himself and he often had to force his mother to eat and bathe. Granny Smith eventually became better and she realised that her late husband would not want her to spend her time grieving and she felt guilty for abandoning her son. Marzana readily forgave her and since then, Marzana and Granny Smith had developed a strong bond and he always told her everything. His marriage to Ambrose seemed to strengthened Granny Smith's beliefs that maybe Marzana would be able to tone down his disdain towards the other tribes. But she had an uneasy feeling that her only son was hiding something from her.

"Mum, do you remember I told you last week that Ambrose and I are travelling to Canterlot at midday?" enquired Marzana.

Granny quickly pushed her worries to the back of her mind and nodded. Marzana claimed that there were potential buyers for their cider in Canterlot and he was going to make sure that they went for a good price.

"Dad can we all come with you?" asked Big Mac.

Marzana breathed slowly, preparing himself to tell his son why the rest of the family couldn't come.

"Its adult stuff son, you'll get bored very quickly. But because your mother and I are in Canterlot for a few days, you can come tomorrow and we can go sightseeing for a few days."

"Aw, I've never seen Canterlot. Is it pretty with lots of shops?" asked Applejack.

"Yes, sweetie, it is, but you can see all of that tomorrow", replied Ambrose, who was looking to end the conversation about Canterlot. After they completed Stage One, Marzana and Ambrose planned to rent an apartment near the palace for their family so that they remained close to Equestrian affairs when the Order of Roots took control of the country. They had agreed to reveal their plans to their family the following day in order to soften the blow of the chaos that would ensue once they had completed Phase One.

"Alright then, your mother and I had better pack children. Behave for your grandmother okay?" announced Marzana, who had now stood up and moved towards the door. He gave his mother a tender hug and he did the same with Applejack and Big Mac. He gently kissed Apple Bloom's head and he beckoned for his wife to leave with him. She said her goodbyes to her children and passed the cot to Granny Smith.

"Are we going on an earlier train?" asked Ambrose.

"Yes dear, but I wanted to tell you something first." Marzana took a deep breath and placed his hooves in Ambrose's.

"I'm sorry that I didn't stand up for you in the meeting last night. I know that Autumn just wanted you to prove yourself, but... I should've said something. I'm supposed to always have your back and... I let you down. Could you ever forgive me?"

Ambrose was surprised that Marzana had remembered to apologise and she felt a huge amount of guilt for what she did. She had had a dream the previous night about her husband and Autumn, and she was forced to choose between them. But for some reason she felt more drawn to Marzana. He always had a positive outlook and never failed to amaze her. Whereas Autumn had given off a darker vibe and seemed more controlling.

 _Marzana can never know about what I did._

 _Autumn won't bring it up._

 _Just forget about it._

 _Focus on Marzana and the mission today._

"Its okay Marzana, just forget about it. I already have" replied Ambrose with a small smile. She leaned in and tenderly kissed Marzana on the lips. She pulled away after a few seconds and told her husband; "We should head off now. The guards are going to be difficult to handle and we will need as much time as possible."

"Yes, let's go and make history Ambrose."

* * *

"LYDIG! BRING ME THE NEWSPAPER NOW!"

"Yes sir, right away sir." replied Lydig Tjener, rushing from the kitchen to Solar Shaker's bedroom, carrying the newspaper on top of his head. He reached the master bedroom door and knocked three times, waiting patiently.

"Come in Lydig."

Lydig entered and found his employer to be sitting at his desk, writing.

"Place the newspaper on my bed and close the door behind you."

Lydig did as he was instructed and left the room quietly, closing the door behind him. Solar Shaker walked over to the window and looked out. Las Pegasus was always relatively quiet in the morning as the working day in the city did not start until midday. Solar Shaker sighed and turned to his desk, where an unfinished letter that he had been writing lay uncompleted. The letter concerned extending the size of the camps so that more earth ponies could be placed there. It had been Solar Shaker's idea to start to place the 3 million earth ponies living in Las Pegasus in concentration camps a year ago so that he could train them and build up a large enough army that would be able to challenge the two princesses for power. At the camps, Solar's pegasi scientists injected earth ponies with drugs that dulled their sense of pain and increased their muscle size and this made them more effective soldiers. The camps also meant that jobs were created for pegasi to become guards, cooks and cleaners, and this was an added benefit that would combat the high levels of unemployment and crime plaguing the city. As mayor of a pegasi city that was struggling to provide jobs and sufficient housing for all of the residents, Solar Shaker was dissatisfied with the funding that he received from Celestia and Luna. He had argued that that the city needed more money to fix the unemployment issue but each time he had made a formal request, the answer was that the money given to each city had to be the same to avoid favouritism. His frustration had led him to set up the concentration camps and gradually move the earth ponies there, claiming that new houses had been built specifically for earth ponies. So far, he had faced little questions because the (exclusively pegasi) Las Pegasus police force made sure that nobody questioned Solar's motive. Solar was hoping that his army would be ready in a matter of weeks and he was timing his strike to take place a month after Celestia's speech.

BANG! Lydig slammed the door open and burst into Solar's room, panting heavily, snapping Solar out of his thoughts.

"LYDIG! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO ENTER MY ROOM WITHOUT KNOCKING?!"

"Sorry sir…." Lydig paused for a few moments to catch his breath. "Mayor Arcobaleno from Cloudsdale wants to speak to you. He said it's urgent."

"Alright tell him I'm coming down right now." Lydig nodded and turned to leave when he was slapped loudly across the face by Solar Shaker.

"Don't do that again, you mud bastard. After I have spoken to Arcobaleno, bring the grey mare to me."

"Yes, sir."

Lydig left his room quickly and Solar came out a few seconds later, smoking a cigarette. He entered his study and found Arcobaleno standing beside a bookshelf.

"Pleasure to see you Mayor Arcobaleno. I trust that you are here bearing good news concerning our plan?" Solar asked, stubbing out his cigarette onto the ashtray that sat at his large desk using his wing.

"No, unfortunately I don't, Mayor."

Solar breathed heavily and clenched his hoof, which drew a nervous glance from Arcobaleno. "Let me guess. Your units are still not ready?"

"No sir."

"How long?" asked Solar Shaker, who was visibly enraged at this point. Arcobaleno was slightly nervous but stood his ground, refusing to show any signs of weakness.

"It will take three months at least, Solar."

"What was our deal, Arcobaleno? I GAVE YOU SIX MONTHS TO PREPARE THE WONDERBOLTS FOR THE TAKEOVER AND YOU'RE STILL NOT READY?!"

"I apologise, but-"

"NO BUTS. The Wonderbolts are now under my control since you have been so incompetent. You will report to me every week for four weeks on any progress, okay?"

"No." stated the Cloudsdale mayor defiantly, fixing his Las Pegasus counterpart with a cool and confident stare.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"I said no. I am Mayor of Cloudsdale and all matters concerning my city are under my control. What makes you think that you have the right? You have never even set foot in Cloudsdale and you want to take control? You know that without my Wonderbolts you will not succeed in our mission. I am well aware that you are keeping earth pony prostitutes at your mansion. Imagine how that would look to pegasi living here. I will be returning in a month's time to update you on the mission." Arcobaleno turned and slowly walked out of the study.

Solar Shaker was tempted to go after Arcobaleno but knew that he was right. Without the Wonderbolts, the mission would not succeed and all of his efforts would've been wasted.

 _No worries, Arcobaleno, you may have won this battle but I will win the war. I will rule Equestria, not you._

* * *

"Bring me black tea with two sugars, please."

"As you command, your Highness."

Luna entered her chamber and opened the blinds. She usually disliked the daytime but today was one of the few days of the year in which she tolerated the sunshine. There were only two hours left until Celestia was due to make her speech and she was currently in the conference room making last-minute preparations for her nationwide fireworks spell. Luna looked out of the window and saw that there was already a large crowd gathering in front of the stage. Crowds usually appeared an hour before the speech but since it was the 1000th anniversary speech this year, the event had been hyped up even more than usual.

"Luna, can you come and help me please?" Celestia called out.

"Coming, Celestia" Luna replied. She performed a teleport spell and arrived at the conference room. Celestia sat at her desk, her head in her hooves.

"What's the matter Celestia?"

"I don't know how I should wrap up my speech. Should I beg for calm or vaguely warn the supremacists that they won't win? Its supposed to be a celebration but I have this feeling that something might go wrong? I'm meant to be in charge but-"

"Stop panicking Celestia, you're a great leader and millions of ponies look up to you as an inspiration. If anybody should be confident about today, it should be you. Now come on, lets see what you wrote for your speech."

For the next 90 minutes, Celestia and Luna went over the speech together and Luna made improvements where necessary. She helped Celestia with her firework spell and eased her nerves about successfully completing the spell. Twenty minutes before Celestia was due to make her speech, she told Luna she was ready and thanked her continuously.

 _With Luna's help I'll get this right. I have to._

* * *

"Come on Ambrose, the guards will be starting their shift soon and we need to get into the watchtower."

Marzana and Ambrose had gotten off the train two hours ago and spent an hour viewing apartments that were near the palace but they hadn't found anything that fitted their demands. They had also wasted another ten minutes making sure that the Canterlot phase of the mission was ready. Ambrose had suggested kicking a family out of any apartment after Phase One was completed and Marzana had agreed with her. But now they needed to get to the watchtower before they were intercepted by guards. Marzana and Ambrose walked quickly to the palace, following a crowd of unicorns and pegasi that were attending the speech. Twenty minutes later, they reached the watchtower (they were well aware that the watchtower would be poorly guarded so they had chosen it to avoid detection). Once they were sure that nobody was watching them, Marzana and Ambrose quickly climbed the stairs and reached the top, where their weapons were already waiting. The weapons were simple so that Phase One could be completed quickly. There were two long, white straws Marzana brought out a drill and a ruler and quickly made two small holes in the wall so that the darts would be able to fit through them. A member of the Order of Roots had left the weapons in the watchtower the previous day in order to save time and avoid Ambrose and Marzana being searched by the guards.

"How long until the speech starts Ambrose?"

"Approximately ten minutes."

"Perfect."

* * *

"Hurry up and take all of your weapons! We need to be ready when Ambrose and Marzana complete Phase One."

Autumn Forest and other members of the Order of Roots were currently in an underground bunker in Canterlot, making last-minute preparations for Project Genesis. They only had one shot at this and earth ponies would never get another chance to take control again. But at what was the most important time of his life, Autumn found himself distracted; namely by the centre of his desires and affections.

 _Ambrose._

Ever since the meeting in Appleloosa, Autumn couldn't stop thinking about Ambrose. He couldn't get over her toned body, her orange eyes and her city accent.

 _Focus on the mission Autumn._

"Alright comrades listen up!" Autumn whistled and all 50 ponies present stopped what they were doing and listened.

"We have worked tirelessly for three years on Project Genesis to take control of Equestria. Comrades have given up their lives for the mission and we are half an hour away from victory. Half an hour away from improving the lives of every earth pony in Equestria. Half an hour away from liberating the earth ponies in Las Pegasus. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ERROR. Everypony must successfully complete their part in the plan or the punishment will be death. Now, let's go and take back our country!"

The ponies present cheered and began to take their satchels, ready to finally start Project Genesis.

* * *

"Are the projection spells ready Luna?" Celestia asked as she put on her crown backstage.

"Yes, they are. Start the spell for your respective cities. Celestia will be beginning her speech in a few moments."

"Yes, your Highness."

The unicorns closed their eyes and the stage was surrounded by a blue orb. Moments later, blue light shot up from the horns of each unicorn and the rays of light travelled in different directions. The projection spell enabled ponies from all over Equestria to watch the speech live because not everypony would be able to come to Canterlot. The spell had only been written by Celestia a few years ago and it allowed for ponies all over Equestria to feel closer to the event than ever.

"Sister, are you ready?" asked Luna, who had just finished setting up the microphone.

"Yes… I am ready."

* * *

"…. And it is a time for ponies everywhere to come together and celebrate being an Equestrian citizen. Whether you have horns, wings or neither, our country has existed peacefully for 1000 years and I hope that Equestria will stand for even longer."

As Celestia was wrapping up her speech, Ambrose and Marzana were loading their weapons. The darts were heavily coated with poison and the intention was to stop the flow of magic in Celestia and Luna's bodies. A lack of magic to the unsterblich (the organ that gave alicorns their immortality) for only a few seconds resulted in immediate death in alicorns and this is what Ambrose and Marzana were aiming for.

"I think she's finishing her speech now, Ambrose."

"Okay then, let's wait for Luna to get on stage and then…."

"EQUESTRIA WILL STAND FOREVER!" announced Luna in the royal Canterlot voice. There were huge cheers from the crowd and Luna and Celestia held their hooves up together as a symbol of solidarity.

"Now."

The couple lay down onto their stomachs and blew into the straws containing the darts. The darts flew out and travelled at lightning speed through the air. They quickly found their targets at the centre of the stage.

"AAAARRGGGHH!" Celestia and Luna screamed simultaneously as they felt a sharp, stabbing pain. The crowd screamed and moved back and nearly all of the ponies present wore shocked expressions on their faces. The guards rushed towards the princesses and some entered the crowd to find the ponies responsible. Celestia quickly found the source of the pain and pulled the dart out slowly. She did the same for Luna and they both began to feel extremely dizzy. Blood poured out of Celestia's mouth and Luna's nose. There were calls for an ambulance from the guards but it was clear that it would be too late. The world became darker and Celestia and Luna dropped to the floor like stones. They could feel themselves slipping away from existence and they reached out to each other for the last time.

 _C-Well, I guess this is the end._

 _L-I would've thought Sunburst and Sunrise would've had a bit more dignity than this._

 _C-What if it wasn't them?_

 _L- Impossible._

 _C- I thought everypony loved us. Respected us. Adored us._

 _L- Oh well, whatever happens next isn't our concern anymore. We did all we could for this country. Let them look after themselves now._

Celestia and Luna lay deathly still on the floor and there was a few moments of stunned silence in the crowd before all hell broke loose.

* * *

It was pandemonium in Canterlot. Ponies were running left and right, screaming their heads off. A huge stampede meant that everypony ran for themselves and those who had fallen were quickly crushed by the hooves of other ponies. The Order of Roots members had infiltrated the crowd and were barging their way through the middle of the crowd. They opened their satchels and stared at Autumn, waiting patiently for the signal. Autumn nodded and they brandished their weapons, stabbing anypony who came near them. This led to even more screams and shouts and the ground was soon awash with the blood of the dead and injured. The guards that were in the crowd saw the earth pony attackers and nearly all of them turned and fled from the crowd to their homes. After observing the chaos in the crowd for a few seconds, Autumn Forest galloped towards the stairs that led to the stage. There were two guards standing with their backs next to the stairs and they were unaware that Autumn was coming. Autumn quickly bucked the guards using his hind legs and they fell to the ground unconscious. He placed a gas mask on and stealthily climbed the steps leading to the stage. The guards that were on the stage desperately trying to revive the princesses turned and immediately yelled, charging forward in order to restrain him. But Autumn was ready. He took out a vial from his satchel and dropped it onto the floor, releasing its contents. The pale yellow gas was inhaled momentarily by the guards and they immediately collapsed; some vomiting blood and others desperately grabbing at their throats. Autumn stepped over them and stood on the edge of the stage. He turned to look at the princesses' bodies and smiled.

 _This is it._

"CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA! WE HAVE TAKEN YOUR BELOVED PRINCESSES FROM YOU!" Autumn announce. He turned to the unicorns that had been performing the projection spell and ordered them to stand up.

"Do the spell again. The whole country needs to see this. Now."

The unicorns nodded hurriedly and performed the spell again. In the chaos of what had happened to Celestia and Luna, the spell had turned itself. In a few moments, the entire nation was shown the chaos that was taking place in Canterlot.

"THE ORDER OF ROOTS ARE NOW IN CONTROL OF EQUESTRIA. YOU HAVE SHUNNED THE EARTH PONIES FOR FAR TOO LONG AND THIS IS THE PRICE. EVERY MAYOR MUST PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO US IMMEDIATELY OR THEIR CITY WILL PAY. Now, I think its time we showed you how easy it was to end those bitches' lives. Ambrose, Marzana, come on out!"

* * *

The citizens of Ponyville were quite frankly terrified with what they saw before them. The blue-framed screen in the sky showed events that they never believed would happen. Foals clung to their parents and there were several ponies that had broken down into tears.

"…Ambrose, Marzana, come on out!"

Granny Smith froze. Autumn had just announced that he was going to show the nation the princesses' murderers and he had announced her son and daughter-in-law's names.

 _They can't be the same people._

 _It's impossible._

 _Marzana would never do something like this. Neither would Ambrose._

 _They're not murderers._

What Granny Smith and the rest of Ponyville saw next shocked them to the core. Marzana and Ambrose came out on stage, smiling. They were holding hooves and they walked purposefully to the front of the stage. Some ponies were giving Granny Smith dirty looks but she was too shocked at what she was seeing to register these looks. She felt as if her breath had been snatched away and she stood silently, her mouth open wide an tears running down her cheeks.

"Congratulations, agents, you have proven yourselves." said Autumn with a wide smile and he nodded at the couple.

"Thank you sir." replied Ambrose and Marzana at the same time.

"WE WILL NEVER OBEY YOU, MUD BASTARDS!"

Ponies from across Equestria could be heard screaming their refusals through the projection spell. The pegasi in Las Pegasus and the unicorns in Detrot were particularly loud in voicing their opinions. The crowd (what was left of it) in Canterlot were inspired and they began to boo and yell abuse at the ponies on stage.

"Very well then, you refuse to pledge allegiance?" asked Autumn Forest with a smile.

The response was unanimous from the screens and the Canterlot crowd, and there was were even some ponies who attempted to attack the three earth ponies that were on stage

"THEN MAKE YOUR LAST PRAYERS EQUESTRIA, BECAUSE WE WILL RAIN DOWN HELL ONTO YOUR CITIES UNTIL YOU SUBMIT. THIS IS WAR!"


	4. IV

**IV**

"Come on Sunburst, let's get to the vault quickly before those mud ponies find it."

Sunrise Phoenix and Sunburst Solar galloped quickly through the palace hallways. They didn't encounter any guards and this was because all of them were outside the palace either unconscious or dead, attempting to apprehend the members of the Order of Roots (and failing) or trying to control the crowd. Sunrise and Sunburst had arrived a minute before the speech had ended and saw the demise of the two princesses. Sunrise in particular was shocked at what had happened. Sunburst was surprised that the earth ponies had even planned a rebellion but this only made him even more determined to find the Elements of Chaos.

"What did those earth ponies call themselves?" enquired Sunrise. By this point the couple had slowed down significantly and were just about to enter the underground bunker, which meant that they were very close to the vault.

"The…Mountains Order, I think. I just can't believe that they got rid of Celestia and Luna" replied Sunburst, frowning.

"It's a shame; it means that we will never be able to get their alicorn magic off them" stated Sunrise.

"….what are you planning to do about the noble houses sir?"

Suddenly Sunrise and Sunburst could hear voices in the distance and as the individuals came closer, their voices became louder and louder.

"We won't be negotiating with Leo or Taurus but I think that Gemini and Capricorn will be easy to convince. We can worry about the others later. Now let's investigate this palace briefly and we'll go back out to signal the start of Phase Two. We'll come back later and I don't feel comfortable leaving the stage for too long."

Sunburst and Sunrise quickly performed an invisibility spell where they were stood and pulled it off just in time. Ambrose, Autumn and Marzana entered the bunker and stood in the middle, silently observing their surroundings. The bunker was quite big and there were several papers lying on the paper. Marzana picked up and read a few of them but quickly dropped them because the information they contained was useless. Ambrose quickly walked over to the vault and analysed the outside. The vault had a large heptagon on the front of it and there was a small hole in the middle. Ambrose guessed that the hole was where Celestia and Luna would place their horns and perform the spell that would open the vault.

 _But what's in the vault?_

"Marzana, could you go back outside and make sure our comrades are still in control?"

Marzana was slightly surprised that Autumn had asked him of all people to take charge; but Marzana saw this as his opportunity to impress Autumn and take charge for once.

"Yes sir, right away sir."

Marzana galloped out of the bunker and Ambrose and Autumn were alone in the bunker (Sunburst and Sunrise were still invisible). Autumn slowly walked over to Ambrose and gently kissed her neck behind her.

 _Fuck. He meant it when he said that he said that he loved me._

"Ambrose, I can't stop thinking about you. Do you feel the same way?"

 _Lie. End this before Marzana comes back._

"Yes, you-you are always on my mind Autumn."

"That's what I thought."

Autumn leaned in and kissed Ambrose gently. He turned his head to go deeper but Ambrose quickly pulled away.

"We… we should focus on the mission, sir."

Autumn was confused but realised that she may still be feeling guilty because of her marriage to Marzana and her betrayal.

"Alright then, let's go and check on Marzana."

Ambrose and Autumn left the bunker and their hoof steps got quieter and quieter. As soon as it was obvious that there was nopony nearby, Sunburst and Sunrise quickly reappeared.

"Well, at least we know that they will be contacting us soon." stated Sunburst.

"I wonder how the other noble houses will respond to their demands; I know what my father is going to say." chuckled Sunrise but soon stopped when she saw Sunburst had picked up some of the papers .

"What's written on the papers Sunburst?"

"Idiots. That's what they are. Fucking idiots." Sunburst smiled and checked the papers once again to make sure his suspicions were correct. "Sunrise, these papers have the spell that Celestia and Luna wrote, the one needed to access all of the weapons in Equestria. If we use this, we will have all the firepower needed to consolidate our power.

"Well, as my father would say, isn't that just fucking wonderful." said Sunrise, nuzzling gently against Sunburst.

* * *

 _How could they do this?_

 _Why?_

 _How did I not realise?_

 _Marzana lied to me. Ambrose lied to me._

Granny Smith was still standing in the Ponyville town square with all of the other residents. The projection spell had been turned off and the ponies stood quietly, staring at each other.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT GRANNY SMITH!"

The accusation had been made by a pegasus standing near Granny Smith. He turned and walked towards her, pointing her.

"YOU SHOULD'VE STOPPED THEM!" Others began to speak up and their anger was clear.

"HE'S RIGHT, YOU COULD'VE PREVENTED ALL OF THIS BUT YOU DIDN'T!"

"LEAVE GRANNY ALONE!"

Big Macintosh stood next to his grandmother and faced her accusers.

"None of us knew this was going to happen. We didn't know Mom and Dad were going to do anything like this. But you can't start pointing hooves at us. It'll only make the situation worse and it's not what Ponyville needs right now."

Applejack was crying quietly at this point, ashamed with what her parents had done. Apple Bloom, sensing the tense atmosphere, began to wail and shake in her cot.

"Come on kids, lets go home." muttered Granny Smith. She picked up the cot and turned to walk back to her farm. Applejack and Big Macintosh followed after her and they held their heads low, wanting to escape from everypony.

* * *

"Do you have the fake horn Sunburst?"

"Of course. It's right here."

Sunburst and Sunrise were still in the bunker and they were currently stood in front of the vault. Sunburst held plastic shaped like a horn with his magic. The plastic horn was the same width and length as Celestia's and was designed (by Sunrise) to gradually break down the magical barrier that sealed the vault door shut.

"How many days will it take for the door to open?" asked Sunburst, placing the plastic horn in the hole on the door.

"Approximately three days. Maybe four if we're unlucky."

"The tunnel is how we'll get in then?"

"Yes."

"Make sure the entrance is sealed. We can't have those mud bastards compromising our plan."

Sunburst sealed the door shut with his magic. Sunrise turned and walked to the other side of the bunker with Sunburst. Sunburst opened the trap door and the couple dropped through at the same time, planning to return to the bunker in three day's time and collect the papers inside the vault that would effectively hand power over Equesria to them.

* * *

"HOW MANY MAYORS HAVE RESPONDED TO OUR DEMANDS?" yelled Autumn at the unicorns performing the projection spell. Marzana had managed to make sure that the crowd remained at the front of the stage and guards lay on the floor, some dead and others unconscious.

"Apart from Appleloosa, none… s-sir."

"Do the spell. NOW!"

The unicorns performed the spell nervously and every major Equestrian city appeared in the sky on blue screens.

"WE ASKED YOU TO PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE ORDER OF ROOTS AND YOU HAVE REFUSED. YOU WILL SUBMIT EVENTUALLY BUT FIRST WE WILL SHOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T OBEY ORDERS!"

Autumn Forest whistled sharply for two seconds and stomped his hoof at the same time. Loud explosions could be heard in Manehatten and Detrot. Ponies' screams could be heard and various body parts were seen flying in the air. The crowd in Canterlot stood silently in shock and most ponies were crying at this point. Another explosion (significantly quieter since the bomb wasn't very powerful) could be heard only a few miles away in Canterlot and the crowd began to move away from the stage, extremely worried about whether relatives had been caught up in the bombs.

"WE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE! PLEASE JUST STOP THIS!"

The mayors of Detrot (a unicorn named Codardo) and Manehatten (an earth pony called Corajaso, who was Codardo's distant cousin) yelled this at the same time. They stood directly in front of the ponies caught up in the explosion and both had profound injuries. The smoke had cleared and there were hundreds of corpses on the ground in the two cities. The ground had been painted with blood and the surviving ponies were kneeling next to their loved ones, either wailing or trying to revive them. An elderly stallion could be seen stumbling aimlessly, unaware of the large piece of wood that had buried itself into his stomach. Blood was gushing out of the wound and he eventually collapsed to the ground and remained deathly still.

"I understand your frustration, but this isn't the way to make life better for any of us. Violence is never the answer." pleaded Corajaso, with tears in his eyes. Codardo slowly limped forward and gave Autumn Forest a dirty look.

"This is how you want to take control? Killing? Nopony will ever obey you, earth scum, if this is how you're going about it. You may hold us as part of your stupid little game, but our hearts and minds will always be free." stated Codardo with an emotionless expression. Ponies in Canterlot and Las Pegasus cheered in response.

"None of you have the manpower to challenge us for power. Nopony does. If you are looking for somepony to blame, then blame yourselves. You mistreated us earth ponies for decades and this is the price you will pay."

* * *

Solar Shaker was enraged by what had happened. He was surprised that the Order of Roots had managed to get rid of Celestia and Luna but the fact that they had claimed to take control was sickening. Earth ponies had their designated role in society and that was to grow the crops. They couldn't take control.

"LYDIG! PREPARE MY CARRIAGE FOR CLOUDSDALE!"

"Yes sir."

Secretly Lydig was pleased that the earth ponies had taken control. He was already aware of the Order of Roots because he had received letters about them from his cousin in Appleloosa. Lydig was planning to kill Solar Shaker, take his possessions and join the Order of Roots members in Canterlot.

"Sir, the pilots are ready."

"Good. Now bring my satchel and go and get the orange mare this time. I'm getting quite bored of the grey bitch."

"Yes sir."

As the carriage was coming to the end of its two-hour journey in the air, Solar Shaker was deep in thought about his plans. His earth pony army were almost ready for the takeover and he had given the scientists two more days to make sure everypony was injected and trained sufficiently. As the carriage arrived at the docking point, Solar Shaker saw Arcobaleno nearby, talking hurriedly to two other pegasi.

"Arcobaleno!" called out Solar Shaker.

The Cloudsdale mayor turned and was stunned to see Solar Shaker. After their heated meeting only a few hours ago, the Cloudsdale mayor didn't expect to se his Las Pegasus counterpart so soon.

"Have you seen the speech Mr Shaker?"

"Yes, I have. We need to bring the deadline forward to the day after tomorrow. We can't let those bastards become comfortable in their newfound power for long."

"Yes, of course. The Wonderbolts will be ready in time."

"Good. Now, could you direct me to your finest hotel please, it's getting late."

"Of course. This way."

Solar Shaker walked slowly behind Arcobaleno and dragged his female accomplice with him. Lydig Tjener and two other servants quickly followed. He had handcuffed the orange mare to his hoof and as they walked through Cloudsdale, they garnered a few odd looks. Five minutes later, the group reached the outside of the hotel. The building was three storeys high and its sign read "The Noble Pegasi Hotel". The hotel's astonishing prices meant that only the wealthiest pegasi in Cloudsdale and any pegasus tourists visiting could afford to stay for a few nights. Arcobaleno confidently entered the hotel and sauntered over to the reception desk, briefly speaking with the receptionist.

"Sir, your room is number 54, on the second floor, would you like me to escort you there now, since I'll be staying in the room next to yours as well?" asked Arcobaleno.

"No, I'll find it myself."

"Suit yourself."

Solar Shaker walked over to the stairs and climbed two at a time, dragging the orange mare with him. Lydig and the two servants slowly followed Solar Shaker up the stairs. Solar discreetly checked his right wing to make sure that his dagger was properly concealed. He was planning to use it that night.


	5. PLEASE READ

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!**

 **I am sorry to announce this but I will be taking a break from writing this story because I have huge end-of-year exams coming up at school and I need to be placing all of my focus onto those exams. I will start writing again in the week following the 6** **th** **of June (which is the date of my last exam). I will first post a noble houses profile before the end of May. I have also read back through my previously posted chapters and I have seen several typos throughout so I will be making sure that I proofread my work before posting. I am also not satisfied with the way I have written chapters 2 and 4 and I will try to fix my writing style in the coming chapters. I am just getting started with this story and there is so much more to come. Spread the word, share the story to fellow readers, leave a review if you are enjoying it and apologies once again. 03/04/17**

 **(I WILL ALSO BE REWRITING SECTIONS OF ALL OF MY CHAPTERS) 17/04/17**


	6. IMPORTANT NOTICE

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

I HAVE RE-WRITTEN ALL OF THE CHAPTERS IN THE STORY NOT ONLY TO IMPROVE MY WRITING, BUT TO ALSO FIX ANY INCONSISTENCIES IN CHAPTERS. THE NOBLE HOUSES PROFILE IS COMING WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND JUST AS A REMINDER, I WILL BE RESUMING WRITING IN EARLY JUNE AFTER MY FINAL EXAMS HAVE FINISHED. I HOPE YOU ENJOY READING THE CHANGES THAT I HAVE MADE TO THE CHAPTERS AND HOPEFULLY I'LL SEE YOU IN JUNE TO CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY TOGETHER. THANK YOU FOR READING.


	7. NOBLE HOUSE PROFILE

**EQUESTRIA'S NOBLE HOUSES:**

 **IN THE NEXT SEVERAL CHAPTERS THE UNICORN NOBLE HOUSES WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN EVENTS THAT WILL SHAPE EQUESTRIA'S FUTURE. BELOW IS A PROFILE THAT I HAVE COMPILED OF ALL SIX OF THE UNICORN NOBLE HOUSES IN CANTERLOT AND I HAVE ALSO INCLUDED A LIST OF THE KEY INDIVIDUALS FROM EACH NOBLE HOUSE THAT WILL FEATURE IN THE STORY.**

 **HOUSE ARIES** :

MOTTO- SERVO PER SUPERBIA (SERVE WITH PRIDE)

HOUSE ARIES IS THE SECOND YOUNGEST NOBLE HOUSE IN EQUESTRIA AND IT'S BASED THE CLOSEST TO THE PALACE OUT OF ALL OF THE NOBLE HOUSES. THE FAMILY IS LOYAL TO THE TWO PRINCESSES AND THEY ARE ONE OF TWO NOBLE HOUSES THAT ARE NOT UNICORN SUPREMASCISTS; AS HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, THEY OFTEN DEAL WITH EARTH PONIES AND HAVE THUS DEVELOPED A 'DOWN-TO-EARTH ' ATTITUDE. THEY ARE ALLIED WITH HOUSE CANCER DUE TO THEIR SIMILAR MORALS AND THE MARRIAGES BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE TWO HOUSES. MOST MEMBERS ARE GOOD PONIES AND THEY ALWAYS STRIVE TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THE NATION.

APPEARANCE- RED OR YELLOW COLOURING AND CUTIE MARKS ARE RELATED TO FARMS AND THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY.

 **KEY INDIVIUALS:**

SIR RENOIS AND LADY NOCHA

CODARDO (RENOIS AND NOCHA'S SON, MAYOR OF DETROT)

DIVINE MANGO (1ST LIEUTENANT OF THE ROYAL GUARD, SOLAR DIVISION)

* * *

 **HOUSE CAPRICORN:**

MOTTO: GLORIA ET IUDICATUM

(AMBITION AND DETERMINATION)

APPEARANCE- ORANGE OR YELLOW COLOURING AND CUTIE MARKS ARE EITHER AMBIGUOUS OR RELATED TO POLITICS.

HOUSE CAPRICORN IS THE SECOND OLDEST NOBLE HOUSE IN CANTERLOT. THEY HAVE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF UNIVERSITY GRADUATES OUT OF ALL OF THE NOBLE HOUSES AND MANY MEMBERS HAVE PHD'S IN EITHER MAGIC OR POLITICS. THE LAST FOUR MAYORS OF DETROT WERE FROM HOUSE CAPRICORN. SOME CAPRICORNS ARE PRESIDENTS OF MAJOR EQUESTRIAN UNIVERSITES AS WELL (E.G. UNIVERSITY OF DETROT). THEY ARE ALLIED WITH HOUSES VIRGO AND LEO BUT ARE ENEMIES WITH HOUSE TAURUS DUE TO THE NOBLE WAR BETWEEN THE TWO HOUSES (THE WAR OF ELITES; THAT HOUSE CAPRICORN LOST) THIRTY YEARS AGO. THEY WERE ALSO BETRAYED BY HOUSE GEMINI DURING THE NOBLE WAR AND HAVE SEVERED ALL TRADE WITH THEM SINCE. THIS HOUSE MAINLY KEEPS TO THEMSELVES AND THEY HIDE THEIR DISDAIN FOR THE OTHER PONYTRIBES VERY WELL. THEY ARE A DETERMINED BUT STUBBORN HOUSE AND MANY OF THE CAPRICORNS DO NOT HAVE FRIENDS, BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE JUST A WASTE OF TIME.

 **KEY INDIVIDUALS** :

SIR CAPRICORNUS AND LADY KAURIS

DUKE SUNBURST PHOENIX (SIR CAPRICORN AND LADY CAPRICORN'S SON, MEMBER OF THE CANTERLOT COURT)

DUCHESS SUNRISE SOLAR (FORMERLY HOUSE LEO, MEMBER OF THE CANTERLOT COURT)

SUNSET SHIMMER (SUNRISE AND SUNBURST'S DAUGHTER)

* * *

 **HOUSE TAURUS:**

MOTTO- NON DOMINABITUR

(WE WILL DOMINATE)

APPEARANCE- OFTEN NAVY BLUE OR BLACK IN COLOUR AND THEIR CUTIE MARKS ARE EITHER AMBIGUOUS OR RELATED TO FINANCE.

HOUSE TAURUS IS THE OLDEST NOBLE HOUSE AND WAS FORMED BY THE TAURUS FAMILY IN THE MONTHS FOLLOWING CELESTIA AND LUNA'S ASCENCION TO THE THRONE. THE FOUNDING OF HOUSE TAURUS ARE DESCENDANTS OF PRINCESS PLATINUM'S FAMILY(WHICH GAINED THE NICKNAME OF BLUEBLOOD AND THIS NAME HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH MANY GENERATIONS). HOUSE TAURUS HAS EMERGED AS THE MOST POWERFUL, THE WEALTHIEST AND ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL NOBLE HOUSE IN EQUESTRIA. TAURUS HAS THE FEWEST AMOUNT OF MEMBERS OUT OF ALL OF THE HOUSES AND SIR WOLFGANG ONLY SEES MARES AS A PAWN TO USE (E.G MARRIAGE) TO GAIN FURTHER INFLUENCE. SEVERAL MEMBERS OF HOUSE TAURUS ARE KNOWN TO BE ARROGANT AND EXTREMELY RACIST AND HAVE SEVERAL BRANCHES OF THEIR BUSINESSES IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE PRANCE AND SADDLE ARABIA. THEY ARE ALLIED WITH HOUSE GEMINI BUT HAVE A PROFOUND DISLIKE FOR HOUSE CAPRICORN AND HOUSE LEO.

 **KEY INDIVIDUALS:**

SIR WOLFGANG TAURUS AND LADY TAURUS

AMADEUS BLUEBLOOD X (HEAD OF THE EQUESTRIA STOCK EXCHANGE, BASED IN CANTERLOT)

FANCY PANTS (ENTREPRENEUR, SIR WOLFGANG'S YOUNGER BROTHER)

RESUMA (BLUEBLOOD'S YOUNGER SISTER, LAW STUDENT AT UNIVERSITY OF CANTERLOT)

* * *

 **HOUSE LEO:**

MOTTO- NEMO HABEAT FIDUCIAM

(TRUST NO ONE)

APPEARANCE- VARIOUS SHADES OF GREEN AND CUTIE MARKS ARE RELATED TO BATTLE

HOUSE LEO IS THE THIRD OLDEST HOUSE (BASED THE FURTHEST AWAY FROM THE PALACE) AND ITS MEMBERS ARE DESCENDED FROM A FAMILY OF UNICORN REBELS THAT INITIALLY REFUSED TO PLEDGE ALLIEGENCE TO PRINCESS CELESTIA AND LUNA WHEN THEY TOOK CHARGE; AND THEY BRANCHED OFF A SECTION OF EQUESTRIA AND DECLARED THAT IT BE KNOWN AS UNICORNIA. AFTER THE REBELS WERE FORCED TO CONCEDE DEFEAT TO THE PRINCESSES IN A BRIEF BATTLE, THEY FORMED HOUSE LEO, NAMED AFTER THEIR LEADER AND PLEDGED TO RETURN TO POWER, BUT THEY HAVE LOST THEIR INFLUENCE OVER THE PAST GENERATIONS DUE TO THEIR RELUCTANCE TO ACTIVELY TAKE PART IN THE POLITICAL GAME PLAYED BY THE LARGER NOBLE HOUSES. SEVERAL MEMBERS OF HOUSE LEO ALSO HAVE ANGER ISSUES AND THIS IS BELIEVED TO BE A FAMILY TRAIT THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN OVER THE YEARS.

 **KEY INDIVIDUALS:**

SIR LEONUS AND LADY LEONA

VALENT LEO (CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD)

ZAPATA (SCHOLAR, UNIVERSITY OF CANTERLOT)

* * *

 **HOUSE GEMINI:**

MOTTO- PORTENTIA SERMONIS

(SPEECH IS POWER)

APPEARANCE- ANY COLOUR AND CUTIE MARKS ARE OFTEN RELATED TO THE MEDIA.

HOUSE GEMINI IS THE THIRD YOUNGEST NOBLE HOUSE IN EQUESTRIA AND WHILST IT ISNT ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST, IT IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL HOUSE IN EQUESTRIA. THEY OWN SEVERAL NEWSPAPER BRANCHES AND THEIR INTERPRETATIONS OF EVENTS AFFECTING EQUESTRIA HAVE A PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE OPINIONS OF ORDINARY PONIES IN EQUESTRIA. THEY ARE ALLIED WITH HOUSE TAURUS BUT OFTEN INTERACT WITH NOBLES FROM THE OTHER HOUSES. AFTER CAPRICORN AND TAURUS, THEY ARE THE MOST POLITICALLY GIFTED HOUSE. A POPULAR SAYING BASED ON HOUSE GEMINI IS 'IF YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH A GEMINI, YOU WILL GO FAR.'

 **KEY INDIVIDUALS:**

SIR GENELOS AND LADY GENIA

SHADOW HEART (EDITOR OF CANTERLOT EXPRESS)

* * *

 **HOUSE CANCER:**

HOUSE CANCER IS THE YOUNGEST NOBLE HOUSE AND WAS FOUNDED ONLY TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO. THE FOUNDING FAMILY WERE DOCTORS THAT MANAGED TO FIND THE CURE FOR THE 'PONY POX' THAT RAGED ACROSS EQUESTRIA. AS A REWARD FOR THEIR EFFORTS, PRINCESS LUNA HONOURED THEIR FAMILY AS NOBLES AND THEY WERE NAMED AFTER THE DISEASE THAT THEY HAD CURED. THEY ARE A SELFLESS FAMILY WHO ALWAYS PUT OTHER PONIES BEFORE THEMSELVES.

 **KEY INDIVIDUALS:**

SIR CRANCO AND LADY KREEFT

NIGHT LIGHT (CO-OWNER OF CANCER PHARMACY)

TWILIGHT VELVET (CO-OWNER OF CANCER PHARMACY)

TWILIGHT SPARKLE (NIGHT LIGHT AND TWILIGHT VELVET'S DAUGHTER)


End file.
